Please let me in
by thesheepishchild
Summary: Being a double agent is dangerous, especially if you are going against an insane man like Ivan. What would happen if Ivan found out that Gajeel was working against him. THE SEQUEL TO THIS IS NOT SELL OUT. IT IS FLAWED DESIGN. SORRY ABOUT THAT FOLKS! ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE PM ME.
1. Chapter 1

**I always wondered what would happen if Ivan found out that Gajeel was a double agent. This is my take on it. Please don't be too brutal this is my first fic of Fairy Tail. Please if you see need of any improvements please tell me. They will help me later on. So yes I don't know where this would fit in the timeline but hey it fanfiction where anything can happen. Alright enough talking here is the intro of the story. **

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL.**

Erza crept beside the wall making sure she avoided any pebbles that could cause even a drop of sound. She turned around and motioned Mirajane to follow with a hand gesture. The woman took a step forward making sure to follow the same careful procedure as the redhead. They were deep in the Raven's guild by now and there was still no sign of the person they were looking for. Taking a look around her surrounding Erza nodded at Mirajane.

They ran in perfect sync across the hall and down another case of stairs. They stopped and pressed themselves against the grimy worn out walls, taking a moment to collect their breaths. The redhead looked around and tried to determine where a prisoner could be held. It had taken them several hours just to get to the last floor of the Raven's guild. Before she could look, the sound of a door slamming open rang throughout the halls. Both girls shared a look and they each saw the fear in the other's eyes. Mirajane watched as Erza re-quipped herself and she nodded her head in approval to fight the oncoming stranger. They waited in silence blending into the wall as the person's footsteps got closer. When the person reached the stairs both girls held their breaths and waited to attack.

They expected to see their worst enemy in front of them. Instead all they got was a smirking "old man" who just laughed at their expressions.

"Hey ladies I didn't see you there" Gildarts said with a laugh.

"What the hell are you doing here this is supposed to be our mission" Mirjane questioned at the fellow S mage. She pushed herself off the grimy wall and stretched out her stiff muscles from being stealthy for such long hours.

Before the man could answer a fierce glare from Erza stopped him. "May I remind you two that we are on a rescue mission" Erza hissed at a low volume.

Gildarts smiled and waved his hand in a non caring gesture "No one is here I checked the castle twice already and this is the last floor"

The S mage stared at the two women and saw that he made a mistake in speaking. The girls were getting angrier by the second and not a second later a punch from Erza knocked him on the ground.

"Oi don't be mad because I can infiltrate a guild faster than you" Gildarts jokingly said as he pushed himself off the ground. Not paying attention to what he was doing the trio found with a horror that his crash had activated without his knowing. The ground beneath them crumbled into pieces and the three S mages fell.

When Erza finally found herself still standing on ground she immediately shot a glare to Gildarts for his denseness. Before she could scold him she saw in the corner of her vision, Mirajane's horrified face. She also noticed that Gildart's face was now solemn unlike his happy expression just mere moments ago. She turned and followed their gazes. She too felt her face express disgust when she finally saw the prisoner they were looking for.

Gajeel was chained to the wall his body unrecognizable with bruises and cuts littering his body. Erza also saw his right limbs were twisting in an inhuman way. There was a list of injuries that she listed mentally inside her head as she inspected him from foot to head. The list was getting longer, and the redhead felt her face falling with each injury listed. When she reached his chest she stopped and felt her stomach drop.

In front of her was Raven guilds symbol, carved painfully onto Gajeel's chest. But it didn't stop there, there was also one burned deeply into the left side of his face.

**Just the intro so it's a lil short. Please if you see any mistakes please tell me, It will help me! Hope you enjoyed and please review :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Thank you Pikinanouart, Snow Kyubbi, Sutchu, Shiawaseness for the reviews, I'm glad everyone enjoyed my first fairy tail fic. Oh for the timeline it is after the Edolas arc and before the S-trial arc.**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL!**

'The trio stood there for a second staring at the the broken body. The air tensed and their bodies frozen for a mere second. Mirajane moved first as she dashed to the Gajeel's side and looked at the man. She listened and stared carefully, her face emotionless with limited patience. Her face fell from the frozen mask when the light sound of breathing was heard. For a moment she was terrified that they had to carry a corpse back to the guild. Now sure the man was alive she stared at the object that was currently holding the man against the wall. The chains seemed to go through the walls and were coiled around the man's body, wrapping itself tightly where the lining of them were clearly seen by dark ugly bruises.

She stepped to the side when she felt Erza behind her. She couldn't stand staring at the man's body any longer for fear of throwing up. She walked away a few steps and tried to take a few calming breaths. She was a S-class mage and she was NOT allowed to see Lisanna's body when she now looked at Gajeel's. Taking a deep breath and reminding her that Lisanna was waiting back at the guild, she returned to Erza's and Gilarts' side. The two were inspecting the chains and the old man was commenting about that something wasn't right about them. Erza commented about the uniqueness of how the chains were tightened around the right arm and leg but everywhere else was not as tight.

Mirajane watched as Gildarts tried to remove the chains by pushing some of his magic onto them. They watched as the man concentrated on not putting too much of his powerful magic and end up harming the broken body anymore. They watched in anticipation but were relieved when the chains fell a little loose after receiving the attack from the S-mage.

"Alright let's get the hell ou-" Mirajane was interrupted when a scream echoed throughout the room. Mirajane turned to see Gildarts backing away quickly when he tried to grab Gajeel but the chains jumped to life. She felt chills rack through her body when an eerie voice laughed throughout the room. The sound of Gajeel's painful scream and the laughter bounced off walls of the underground room. A shinigami peeked its way out from behind Gajeel's body and floated around the room carrying Ivan's voice with it.

"The more you struggle Gajeel-chan the more you suffer, so just be patient" The shikigami laughed as it now returned and landed on the chains. The chains immediately reacted by the shinigami's touch and the trio watched in horror as the chains near Gajeel's torso tightened. The man screamed in pain and futile tried to struggle against the chains. The three S-mages immediately jumped into action and tried to stop the crushing of the man's torso but their touch just made the chains tighten even more.

"Let go" Erza ordered in rage of not being able to stop the pair of hands immediately let go of the chains and the chains slowly stopped tightening, but they did not return to their normal positions. They realized how Gajeel's arm and leg became broken, who knew how many times the man tried to escape before giving up to the pain of his broken body. Gildarts' scowl grew deeper at the thought of the man having to just sit there as his leg and arm were broken relentlessly. He didn't think he could despise Ivan anymore than he did, but now the man would pay for this horrific act. The sound of coughing broke his thoughts and he turned his attention to the young man on the ground. Gajeel was coughing terribly and his face was getting paler.

His face was covered in a sheet of sweat and they could see him struggling to even breathe at the moment. He watched as Mirajane carefully tipped his head foreword, making sure to not touch any of the chains or the horrible mark on the side of his face. She felt her stomach turn when the smell of burnt skin wafted into her nose. She felt bile rise in her throat as blood dripped out of the man's mouth in heavy thick amounts. The smell was becoming too much but she waited till he took a breath before she tipped his head back to rest on the wall.

"Is there any way we could remove the chains without physically touching them" Mirajane asked as she stepped back in line with the other two. "I don't think transformation will help in any way but I can put him to sleep so he won't feel any pain" Mirajane stopped and bit her lip in nervousness but continued "in case the chains tighten again"

"I think putting him to sleep will be a dangerous idea" Erza commented but sighed as she stared at the chains still holding Gajeel."My sword I fear will only cause damage, and time is running out" Erza said solemnly.

"Disassembly magic" Gildarts said out of the blue. Both girls stared at him in confusion but waited till he continued. "I don't think Ivan saw this magic before so hopefully the chains won't tighten anymore" He stared at the two and with a serious tone said "When the chain is disassembled I want you to grab him and out of those chains immediately"

"Understood" Erza said her body already in stance to grab the man. Mirajane followed suit and they waited for Gildarts to attack the chain. When they saw the chain is cut into multiple small pieces they acted and grabbed Gajeel out and away from the chains. The chain only disassembled for a second before it began forming into one again and tightening at a fast pace. Thinking on his feet Gildarts grabbed the shikigami and threw it in the middle of the chain. He watched as the chain wrapped around the shikigami until it was buried under the chain. He spat on the ground in disgust at the man who was to blame for this and shook his head. He saw that the other two were already trying to inspect the wounds and by their facial expressions it wasn't good. He watched as Erza frowned when her hand came up covered in blood when she tried to feel any injuries alongside the right side of the torso that was crushed.

"We have to get him back to the guild" Marijane murmured as she ripped some cloth from her shirt and pressed against Gajeel's bleeding side. The man flinched from the touch but instantly froze and stood still. She could only guess that he learned to stop moving from when the chains tightened to just a mere move. She ignored the flinch and instead tied the cloth in a weak effort to stop the bleeding. She looked pityingly at Gajeel and tried to keep Lisanna's twisted body out of her mind. Taking a deep breath she looked at the other two S-mages and said quickly "Let's get the hell out of here"


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you everyone for the reviews! They make me happy and even make me swallow my pride and BEG my sister into letting me use her laptop to upload this chapter. Sadly a week after Christmas my laptop SUDDENLY stopped connecting to the Internet :(. So now every time I upload I will have to do a favor to my sister. But if people really enjoy my story then I'm ok with doing a favor: P. I apologize to for any grammar or punctuation mistakes. No I sadly do not have a beta I've always wanted one and was thinking of getting one but too late now. I try really hard to get everything correct and thank you Alice Jehova and silentshadow55 for the advice :)**

**DISCLAIMER :DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL!**

With the guild in sight the trio unanimously felt relief flood through them. This mission wasn't one of the hardest missions, by far in Gildarts case, but it was more of the fact that they were towing an injured member back to the guild. They were sure that the master had already called a healer just in preparation of how this rescue mission could have ended.

Mirajane eagerly wanted to return home, she had already decided the first thing she would do was hug her siblings. The second thing she was going to do was have a long nice bath because of right now she was covered in grime, dirt, and other disgusting elements. Mirajane quickened her pace but stopped abruptly when a small figure stood in front of the guild. It was in the dead of the night and the trio was surprised to see their master standing there alone, without a healer.

"Master" The trio said as they stood before the powerful man who wore a deadly expression.

"I chose you two children for this mission because I knew you were capable of completing this task " He nodded at Mirajane and Erza and then turned to Gildarts " I did not approve of your assistance of this mission but I can only assume it was your rivalry that pushed you to act so" His eyes left Gildarts and now finally fell to Gajeel's broken body.

"What you saw or heard while on the mission" Makarov stopped and made sure he had looked in all of the S mage's eyes before continuing "you will not tell a soul"

"What do you mean" Mirajane asked. She was sure that her two siblings were to immediately fire questions about the mission. And why wouldn't they when she had left so suddenly and even without a goodbye to them.

"I mean as far as the rest of the guild knows Gajeel is still missing" Makarov answered solemnly. With that answer he turned to Erza and Mirajane "You two are dismissed, you have done well my children" Marakov complimented the two females. He then turned to Gildarts who was still carrying the unconscious burden and beckoned him to follow him. The two left without a word.

Mirajane stood frozen where she stood and tried to grasp the idea of lying to her fellow guild members. She was brought back to reality by Erza nudging her impatiently and gesturing to something. She barely realized that Erza was talking to her and she barely caught the last of her sentence "I am returning to Fairy Hills are you coming" Erza asked.

"No" Mirajane answered a little too quickly. Trying to hide her mistake she said "I think I will take a look at my bar and make sure everything is ok"

Erza nodded and bid her a farewell before making her way to Fairy Hills.

Mirajane shivered when a gust of wind brushed past her leaving her with chills along her arms and legs. She hastily made her way to the guild where she could be alone and warm. Too many thoughts were plaguing her mind which she futile tried to suppress. Finally behind the bar and in her familiar environment, everything struck down on her like lightning.

How could she have not seen that something was wrong? Images flashed through her mind. Gajeel's tormented body, Lisanna's broken body, Lily's fist crashing down upon a table, the table shattered pieces, and Charle's tears. It happened the day she was called to the master's office.

The first week of the dragon slayer's disappearance sadly the majority of the guild had not noticed. They partied, they fought, and course they lived their regular routines. Now that she looked back she saw that a few members had taken notice. Natsu was the first. Happy had complained that Natsu was to rough when they were playing. Natsu had quickly apologized and a moment later he started a fight with Gray. Mirajane had noticed the look of disappointment when the fight ended a little too quickly. His fights with Gajeel were much longer and he looked around the guild as if hoping the man would suddenly appear and start a fight.

Levy was the second. The script mage was lucky to not have her neck in a brace by the end of the week. Mirajane lost count on how many times that girl would turn in the direction of the door whenever it opened. She was skilled in masking her disappointment and instead said a cheery hello to whoever had walked in. Mirajane wondered how she didn't think anything was wrong when Lily walked into the guild. Each time alone.

It was only after Lily had been showing up at the guild all week alone did people start to comment about the "his" disappearance. That was how people referred to Gajeel; him, that guy, that scum, bastard, asshole, and much worse names. Mirajane couldn't blame them for their initial shock of the man who single handily destroyed and disgraced their guild to actually join. But since he was now a member he should be treated as one.

She would send whoever was badmouthing the dragon slayer a deadly glare that would immediately silence them. The only person who was allowed to have any issues with the man was The Shadow Gear and Lucy. They were physically hurt by the man during the battle. Unbelievably Levy and Lucy had forgiven the man by the time of the battle of Laxus. They were role models portraying that forgiveness was vital to live in a healthy guild. The guild however was not so forgiving.

It had now been two weeks since the last time the dragon slayer was seen and a couple of guild members were trying to hide their worries. After the second week some people mentioned if they had seen the dragon slayer but the topic was replaced with another in a matter of moments. When the news that Gajeel wasn't on a mission was found to be true rumors started to fly around the guild about Gajeel some ranging from possible to crazy.

Some of the members had jokingly said that their prayers were answered and the bastard had died. They were quickly shushed by a deadly aura that made them fear for their own lives. If there was any pity then it was given to the exceed who was usually at the side of the MIA member. Lily was usually seen just loitering around the guild not really making an effort in talking to anyone. He soon blended into the background.

If the guild didn't have enough to gossip about, the news that the metal eater's apartment was for rent caused a whole new batch of rumors. The members who were gossiping stopped suddenly when the guilds doors busted open to reveal an angry exceed. Not making any eye contact to anyone Lily marched to bar and gruffly ordered a barrel of beer and slid the money across the counter. The waitress attending him silently took the money and quickly opened a barrel for the exceed and placed it beside him.

The exceed was left alone, his aura turning away anyone who dared to sit next to him. With everyone's eyes on the exceed everyone jumped when once again the door was slammed open. Turning to see who it was everyone lowered their eyes in order to actually see the person. Charle stood there for a moment trying to catch her breath, sounding as if she just ran her way here, which she probably did.

Noticing all the stares the exceed quickly raised her head and walked swiftly in the direction of Lily. She sensed his dangerous energy but nevertheless kept walking towards him. She heard Mirajane say something and a moment later there were cheers. She heard Mirajane start to sing and she encouraged the crowd to follow suit. She made a mental note to thank the woman later but right now she walked to Lily. She sat right next to him and before he could question her actions she began to talk in a whisper.

She didn't stop; the speech she had prepared became one long run on sentence. She watched the exceed the whole time seeing the emotions race through his face. By the time she was done she was gasping for breath. Before she could actually catch her breath she gasped as Lily transformed in his large form and in one angry attack throw the barrel of beer to the wall with a roar of outrage.

Charle guessed this was how he was going to react and her heart went out to the exceed. She saw how close he and the idiot dragon slayer were becoming. She watched as Lily growled and grabbed the next closest thing. A table was thrown in the same spot as the beer, followed by a fist that left a gaping hole in the wall. Panting from anger Lily tensed when he felt someone grip his shoulder. He turned to see Happy look at him with worried eyes. He barely realized how quiet the guild had gotten and how suddenly everyone was staring at him in terror and confusion. He turned and headed towards the door making sure to slam it on his way out.

That was the last time she had seen Lily. Mirajane shook her head in shame when she recalled how Lily had acted when Charle talked to him. It was only after she learned from the master that Gajeel could be in danger did she realize that the exceed most likely had a vision. She wondered how she was going to lie to the guild when they asked. She tried to picture the scenario.

"How was your mission" Lucy asked politely.

"What happened that they needed two S mages" Natsu demanded

"Was it dangerous" Happy asked excitedly

"Any word on Gajeel" Levy asked for the fifth time that day.

She groaned and buried her face in her hands as she thought of Levy. That poor girl was asking about Gajeel every hour each time her face getting more worried. How was she going to keep this secret that was already making her stomach turn? Her shoulders dropping in disappointment she picked her head but quickly gasped in surprise as two yellow eyes pierced into hers.

"Where is he" Pantherlily growled.


	4. Chapter 4

Erza quietly closed the door to the Fairy Hills and let her eyes adjust to the unlighted room. She leaned herself against the door and waited to be greeted by the silence. Instead she was met by the sound of something hitting the floor repeatedly. When the sound continued, Erza decided that she should investigate. She followed the sound and found herself heading towards the bathroom. When she entered the room a sad sight welcomed her.

There was Juvia fully clothed sitting against the wall, with a black cloud above her head. She sat with her head down in the middle of a puddle which was still growing by the steady fall of the rain. The room's aura gave off sadness and it only grew as Erza walked towards the blue haired mage. She stood in front of Juvia waiting for her presence to be recognized. It was only after she cleared her throat did Juvia look up and meet eye contact with Erza. Her eyes were red and puffy which told that she had been crying.

"Oh Erza-san Juvia did not hear you walk in" Juvia whispered. She avoided eye contact and turned her head away from Erza. The cloud above her gave off a steady flow of rain as it fell down upon her. Her hair was dripping wet as it stuck her face and her clothes were no better. Erza stood next to her waiting for her to say something, anything that might explain this strange behavior. She didn't have to wait long as a choked sob was heard.

"Something's wrong" Juvia cried our as she buried her head in her hands. "Juvia tried not to worry about Gajeel-kun. Juvia really did, she trusts Gajeel-kun" Juvia cried out. Tears streaming down her face she continued "He's been gone too long and he didn't even say goodbye to Juvia. Juvia fears something is wrong, terribly wrong" She whispered that last part. She looked up at Erza and asked in a weak voice "Erza-san do you know anything, anything at all about Gajeel-kun" Juvia eyes pierced into Erza's , she was begging for the truth. "Please Erza-san"

Erza stared at Juvia taking in the plead and the sight of the breaking mage. She took a moment before answering "I'm sorry I haven't heard anything"

Juvia's eyes fell to the ground as her face crumbled and more tears fell. Erza turned away and walked out of the bathroom. She returned shortly with an umbrella in her hand. Without a word she handed the umbrella to Juvia and walked towards the bathing area.

"Thank you Erza-san" Juvia whispered as she opened the umbrella and cast it underneath the dark cloud.

"You're welcome" Erza replied. She didn't look back at the young woman with the dark cloud above her.

* * *

Gildarts and Makarov were silent as they walked the road that led them outside of town and into the forest. Makarov would time to time check Gajeel's pulse and by the time they were entering the forest they were sprinting. Gildarts actually feared that the kid would die in his arms by how shallow his breathing was. They finally reached their destination when a rather large tree was in front of them. A small flicker of light was seen in the middle of the tree that showed that there was life residing in it.

Entering the "home" Gildarts was met with extreme prejudice as the woman inhabiting the tree shot him a dirty look. She turned to Makarov and said in a stiff voice "Is that all you ever bring me, injured humans"

"Please Porlyusica" Was the only words that came from the Fairy Tail master.

The hermit looked at the body in tow and shook her head in disappointment. "I thought better of you Makarov"

Makarov stayed quiet, the impact of the words clearly shown by his crestfallen face. He said nothing but instead motioned the S mage to lay the injured on the mat that was on the ground. After he was ordered to retell what happened when freeing Gajeel, Gildarts was sent away with a nod from Makarov.

With the injured now in full view Porlyusica stared at the broken body and quickly turned around. Turning to drawers and shelves, the woman began to fill her arms with bottles, jars and other odd containers.

The next hours were silent as the hermit applied several herbs and other drugs to Gajeel's injuries. She clicked her tongue with the list of injuries growing as she healed the young man. Several dark bruises all along his body that resembled the form of chains, his right arm and leg were heavily injured but it seemed the leg took most of the damage when the chains tightened, at least two ribs were broken on his right side, and of course the branding on his chest and face. These were just injuries that she could tell by just looking at the broken body. She had yet to check if there was any poisoning or internal damage.

The human's breathing was harsh now and she made a mental note to hurry the healing treatment. His fever was already rising as sweat was traced lightly on his pale skin. It also worried her that he had not stirred once during the healing process. Even when she placed the bone back into place in his arm and leg, he did not stir one time. His stubborn unconsciousness was now worrying her.

Brushing the fallen hair back into her signature bun, she scowled as she felt a presence coming towards her home. The presence was radiating with hostility and she looked up quickly to glance at Makarov. He too felt the oncoming presence but he did not get up. He stayed sitting but a look of disappointment crossed his face. With the worry of an enemy approaching was diminished, Porlyusica returned to her healing.

She heard someone approach but did not let that stop her from healing the human. Grabbing an herb she crushed it and added a few drops of a blue liquid to it making it into a thin cream. She pressed her hands on the man's torso and pressed a few areas. No reaction. She halted her work when Makarov's attention was called for by an unknown person.

She paid no attention to the intruder to her home but concentrated on her healing. She knew that something had to be internally damage if not that then something was off. She remembered Ivan, how far he had fallen into the darkness. A great disappointment. With her thoughts plaguing with the past actions of Ivan she barely heard the yelling that was echoing throughout her home. The intruder was very upset and if not under the certain circumstances she was under, she would have beaten the hell out of him. But under these circumstances she felt that Makarov needed to hear this.

"WAS THAT THE ONLY REASON YOU LET HIM JOIN YOUR GUILD" The intruder yelled.

When Makarov had confessed to her that he was sending one of his guild members to spy on his son Ivan she was astonished that he would risk one of his members. Makarov was the sole guild master who saw his guild as a family, to send one of them to such a mission was uncharacteristic of him. But when he told her who it was, she felt her stomach drop.

Gajeel Redfox was the one "chosen" for the mission. A newbie, the one who destroyed the former guild, one who was hated by the majority of the guild, an outsider, the most likely to betray the guild. Porlyusica remembered how she threw Makarov out of her tree, throwing glasses and anything sharp she could find at the time at him. His decision had hurt her deeply.

"COULDN'T PUT YOUR PRESIOUS FAMILY IN DANGER COULD YOU"

She remembered the early years of her life, she was a loner. No connections to anyone, she could only rely on herself. When she joined a guild she was always the first pick to be "honored" with carrying a dangerous mission. Yes, with her power and no strings attached to anyone she was a perfect choice. If she succeeded the guild became more powerful, if she died…well no one would miss her.

Throughout those missions she did get one thing she didn't have before. Respect. To put the guild over her own life was an act to admire. That's how she got her first and only friend in her life, Makarov. So when she heard that he made Gajeel promise to not speak a word of being a double agent, she lost all respect for that man. She was only healing this human for only the sake of saving a life. The life of an outsider, like her.

She traced lightly on the left side of Gajeel's torso being careful not to press to hard on the bruises. She reached the center of one practically dark bruise and stopped as she traced the distinctive feel of stitches. Barely applying the herb onto it, an agonizing scream stopped her movements. She barely had time to hold the man down before he started to suffer a spasm.

She didn't have to ask for help as the intruder was by her side and holding down the dragon slayer.

"What's going on" The non-human demanded.

Another scream was torn from Gajeel as his hands uselessly tried to reach his side. Porlyusica didn't bother answering the question but instead moved herself to his left side where she could see the stitches. The herb that was applied was glowing brightly alerting her that magic was involved in making this wound.

Taking a deep breath she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small knife. Making quick work she undid the stitches and applied a blue cream onto the open wound. She ignored the screams and demanding questions that were echoing throughout the tree. All the noises suddenly died as a shinigami slowly made its way out of the wound. The screams now stopped because Gajeel's eyes were now rolled in the back of his head and the other three… they were silent in disgust at the actions of Ivan.

They watched as the shinigami floated throughout the tree and landed on the bark. The eerie laughter of Ivan suddenly filled the room. Porlyusica turned to Makarov and for the first time in years she felt fear as she stared at the guild master's face.

"We have to get out now" Makarov whispered

* * *

So there is chapter four for you guys :D Hope you enjoyed and please review.

Review Replies (First time Ive done this ^_^)

ForbiddenLeo-Yes there few little fics about Lily and I am glad to tell you that Lily will be in this fic for several chapters.

Wheredidyougo- AHH you are way to nice! Thank you for the great review!

Silentshadow55-Im so glad you like it! I hope you enjoyed this chapter also.

Thetumtumtree- hahahaha I love your name :D I hope we get to the result soon because I need to FINISH THIS FIC! Lol yes this internet is torture but it is great inspiration for torturing Gajeel :D

Eelgirl13- I bow my head in respect for you. Thank you for pointing that out and I don't know how Juvia slipped my mind! And I will start doing the italics via flashbacks! Your review had great advice and I want to thank you for that! Curveball hmmm what an interesting concept lol :p

Kisshufan4ever- YOU WANT EPIC WELL NEXT CHAPTER IS GOING TO BE TO THE **EXTREME**! Lol

Ningyobaka-lol your name has baka in it :) anyways back to the reply. yes darkness=awesome


	5. Chapter 5

I'm sorry. I am so sorry that I am taking a break from writing and updating my stories. I don't have writers block, I wish I did. Instead I have a horrible incident that has turned my life upside down and writing is just not on my things to do list right now. I apologize for leaving my stories unfinished as of the time being BUT I will finish them….Just when things get a little better. So this is not goodbye. Again I'm sorry for this break, I wish I was stronger and I could continue writing but this event just showed me just how fragile life is. Sorry guys.


	6. Chapter 6

If you want to know why the long absence read my Bio page it's all there. Alright here you guys go.

* * *

The room was a flurry of movements as Pantherlily grabbed the injured Gajeel and made a dash out of the tree. Makarov on the other hand was trying to pull the resisting Porlysical out of tree. She was making a mad dash to fill her arms with containers and other objects. Growing impatient at the woman's foolish stubbornness, Makarov threw her over his shoulder and charged outside. He ignored her protests of returning back inside and held her hand to stop her from retuning. She cried in protest but stopped when the ground shook and soon fire flew out of the hole of the tree.

Makarov threw himself in front of the small group and released some of his magic. The aura around him repelled any pieces of broken wood that flew towards the group. When the smoke cleared all that remained of the beautiful tree was just one small root that managed to withstand the explosion. The group stood there speechless until their attention was diverted as the town could be seen lighting up with life. Voices yelling of their concerns were soon heard and Makarov worried that they would soon venture into the woods.

Turning to the group he saw that the exceed was already carrying the dragon slayer towards the guild. Trying to catch up to him, Makarov hastily grabbed at Porlysical to her feet. The hermit however moved quickly away from the guild master's touch. She crossed her arms across her chest and stared at where the once great tree stood with dead eyes.

"Porlysical please we must go before the townspeople come" Makarov pleaded as the sound of an approaching crowd was heard.

The plead reached mute ears as Porlysical was still. Makarov feared that maybe her hearing had been damaged in the explosion but his fear vanished when the woman turned to face him.

With eyes filled with sadness she said "Have you seen what your son has done"

With that said the hermit walked away, quickly picking up the items she managed to save, she followed the now distant exceed. Makarov stood there alone for a few moments, letting the words fully hit him. His failure of being a father was once again haunting him.

The explosion was covered up by Gildarts who had greeted the townspeople in the forest with a laugh and an apology for once again causing a ruckus upon his arrival. With the news that Gildarts had arrived, a Fairy Tail style party was immediately organized and the guild was alive with people. Drinks were poured, cheers were made and a few barfights broke out, all of course ending with laughter and more drinks. As the party boomed in the guild a more somber atmosphere was around in the master's bedroom.

Due to the issue of still having the guild not knowing Gajeel's presence, the local hospital was out of the question. Makarov deemed his room the most fit to hide Gajeel until he was healed. No one dared to disturb the master once he was in his room.

Porlysical was already once again healing the guildmember and with now small size exceed she asked him for his aid when it came to bandages. Bandages were now covering a majority of Gajeel's body and his leg was now in a cast. While Pantherlily did all this, Porlysical now focused on any internal damage.

Staring at the body on the bed, the hermit felt her body sway but determinedly put her hands on the side wound where the shinigami came from. Before she could even start healing, a sharp pain hit her fingers that soon spread to the rest of her body. A strangled cry came from her lips and she stepped back. Her legs failed her as she fell to the floor and soon her vision's corner was being dominated by blackness. The last thing she saw was Makarov running towards her.

Pantherlily watched as Makarov caught the falling healer before she hit the ground. Her hands were shaking badly and the tips were red where it looked like she had just gotten burned. He only stared at her for a second before he turned towards Gajeel.

His eyes were now opened and were lazily looking around the room. His eyes stopped when they landed on Makarov. He tried to lift his hand but he found that his body wasn't listening to him. Hell he couldn't remember the last time his body didn't feel sore. The memories of the past weeks and what happened came all at once, leaving him dizzy and nauseous. With a heavy sigh he weakly whispered "I failed" repeatly.

Who he was saying this to, they didn't know but they couldn't ponder who he was talking to as the dragon slayer tried to grab his side where the gaping wound still was. To Makarov and Pantherlily's horror the wound started to glow with a black aura surrounding the wound. With their healer now unconscious and exhausted, Makarov made a fast decision on the replacement.

* * *

Wendy woke up to the feeling of being shaken and she quickly turned to the source. Charle was next to her and before she could question what was going on Charle threw her robe at her.

"Come on Wendy you have to go now" Charle ordered.

The exceed was a flurry of movements and before Wendy could even get out of bed several items were thrown at her. Picking up a pair of shoes she quickly donned them along with her robe.

"Charle please tell me what is going on" Wendy pleaded as she was growing frightened at the exceed's unusual behavior.

"The master needs you" Charle quickly answered.

"Is someone hurt, did one of the fights get to serious tonight" Wendy asked as the thoughts of wounds associated with barfights filled her mind.

"You can ask questions later, right now you are needed so hurry up" Charle snapped.

Wendy looked hurt for a second but she saw that what she had said was the truth. She tightened her robe and quickly followed Charle as the exceed went towards the back exit of Fairy Hills. The exceed motioned her to be quiet and quickly spread her wings to avoid making any sounds on the wooden floor. She carried Wendy the short distance and quickly dropped her on the floor in order for her to open the high lock.

When the door opened they were greeted by Makarov who was waiting outside. Before they closed the door Wendy looked back into Fairy Hills to make sure no one was there. She should have never turned around.

If she hadn't she wouldn't have seen the piercing eyes belonging to Erza who stood there in the hallway watching the trio. Erza opened her mouth to say something but Makarov quickly closed the door before she could voice out.

The master made small talk with Wendy who was confused at the master's carefree attitude. It was a complete opposite of Charle's. She wondered who was faking, was Charle over reacting, or was master trying to not scare her. Charle never over reacted so it was no doubt that the master was trying to not alert her.

Makarov stopped talking as they reached the guild and for the second time that night Wendy was motioned to be quiet. Wendy heard the party still on a full rage and stopped to look at her fellow guildmembers enjoying themselves. The festivities soon faded and soon the trio was going down a series of hallways. Wendy had stopped trying to count how many hallways they went through ,when they finally stopped in a front of large door.

The Master now turned to Wendy and Charle. His eyes shadowed and face grim he warned them that what they see and what they do will not be released to the other guildmembers. It is strictly prohibited to speak about who Wendy will be treating. Before opening the door the guildmaster turned to them and said sincerely "I trust you two to not make assumptions….for anyone"

Opening the door Wendy's hands immediately went to her nose. Clenching it tight was in vain to avoid the horrid smell of bile in the room. If she could the child would have covered her ears also as the sound of gagging and liquid hitting the bottom of a pail, bounced off the walls of the room. Wendy turned to the body that was laying on the bed. Her eyes widen at the site of her fellow dragonslayer, pale and covered in bandages. But as she looked closer, Gajeel only looked worse. Her breath hitched when his face came up from the bucket. The bandage covering the Raven's guild symbol fell and was now in view for everyone. Wendy felt like she now needed her own bucket.

"Hurry up and get over here" Pantherlily yelled. The child snapped out of her daze and quickly went to Gajeel's aid. Being skilled in healing magic, no one had to tell the child where the source of poison was. She pressed her hands on the open wound and focused on her magic. The glowing blue surrounding her hands spread to his side and immediately took effect.

Gajeel lied there on the bed and felt it easier to breathe every passing moment. He was happy when the surging pain that was once coursing through his body turned into a dull throb. He turned towards the kid and was surprised to find her staring intently at him. He quickly looked the other way but stopped when that quick movement caused pain throughout his face. Gritting his teeth he hissed as someone pressed some gauze on the side of his face. Though he was closing his eyes he could still feel the brat's gaze on him, and worry was starting to settle in him. He felt someone lean towards him and it took all his willpower to not get up and flee from the room. Someone being that close reminded him to much of the weeks he had to spend with Ivan.

"It was you, wasn't it" Wendy's voice whispered in his ear.

Gajeel didn't respond but instead let the exhaustion of the past weeks take over him. He was at Fairy Tail now. He was safe, wouldn't be woken up to pain and opening his eyes to see Ivan's smile.

* * *

Wendy and Charle were fast asleep on one of the cots, the master had brought out. Wendy had said that the magic involved with the poison was strong so she wanted to stay by Gajeel. Pantherlily was next to the sleeping dragon slayer his eyes closed but his senses on high alert.

Makarov stared at the guildmembers making sure they were each comfortable and had what they needed for the night. Satisfied he turned towards the cot that was isolated in the corner of the room. Porlysical laid on the cot and when the master sat next to the cot the hermit's eyes opened and stared at the guildmaster.

"It's time for you to explain Makarov" She said it calmly but no doubt it was an order.

The master casted his dark eyes to the floor and sighed. "Just please do not interrupt until I'm done explaining myself" He turned to Pantherlily and said " Exceed you should probably listen too"

Pantherlily opened his eyes but didn't move. He waited for the old man to talk.

"I chose Gajeel for selfish reasons" Makarov bowed his head and waited for the exceed to say something insulting. When he was met with silence he continued "I didn't choose Gajeel for this mission because he was the outsider. I chose him because I saw my son in that young man. When he attacked this guild I saw the same hatred and foolishness in his eyes as I did within Ivan's.

"My first step was of course inviting Gajeel to join the guild. I was aware that he would be met with some hostility and so did he. Though there is still some people who disliked his presence I saw that he was making friends and a new person was appearing before me. Though he tried to hide it I saw that young man start to like this guild" Makarov smiled but it soon fell.

He continued "I then offered him a mission of being a double agent to my son Ivan" The guildmaster's face fell and his frown deepened. " I thought that since Gajeel saw firsthand howa positive guild could change a person he would be able to change Ivan. What a foolish thought that was"

Makarov's head fell and tears began to fall. No one dared to speak but Makarov began to speak again "I just wanted my son back that's all. I thought that young man could have been the bridge to me and my son's broken relationship" He shook his head and a soft chuckle was heard "I was a fool for thinking that my son could be saved. I now realize that the man Ivan is no longer my son and I'm sorry that Gajeel had to pay for that realization"

Makarov buried his head within his hands and his shoulders shaking were the only actions that told that he was crying. "I just wanted to save my boy"

* * *

If there's any readers still reading this, If you guys could review that would be awesome. After the accident I want to make sure that none of writing habits have changed.


	7. Chapter 7

Oh wow thank you guys so much for the reviews! I got my usual reviewers plus some new ones which is just awesome. A lot of you mentioned that there were spelling grammars; I'll try best to fix those in the future. I'm glad you guys are still enjoying this fic. Oh and the time setting is after Edolas arc and before S-trial arc. Don't know if I mentioned the time setting.

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"Gajeel, please talk to me" Wendy pleaded as she once again healed the dragon-slayer that day.

The two were alone in the master's room since the others went down to the guild's main hall to get some breakfast. Wendy's magic had done wonders to the iron dragon-slayer's condition, but the success was only physical. Mentally the dragon-slayer was slowly decreasing as he stared all morning at one spot of the ceiling.

_Wendy had woken up to Gajeel's screams as he was being terrorized by night terrors. From what the man was screaming the dreams consisted of his time with Ivan._

"_I dont know, I don't know" Gajeel screamed as he tousled and turned in his bed. He cried out in pain when he rolled onto his still healing arm and leg. When the pain registered into his mind, he lied completely still. One would have thought he fell back asleep but the others could see his eyes were forcefully closed and he was clenching his jaw. His breathing was fast enough that the child was afraid he was going to hyperventilate himself._

_After those night terrors Gajeel usually feigned sleep. _

_Wendy had noticed that the dragon-slayer was purposely avoiding in talking to her. She had walked in the room several times to find him and Pantherlily talking to one another in low voices. When her presence was immediately noticed the conversation died._

After several failed attempts to talk to Gajeel, Wendy and Charle returned to Fairy Hills. They sat in their room trying to take advantage of their time off before they had to go back up to master's room. They laid on their beds in silence. It wasn't broken until Wendy asked "Charle do you know what happened"

The exceed gave her a blank stare. "What do you mean"

"Well you have precognition. So did you by chance see how Gajeel was captured"

"Captured" Charle repeated.

"Yeah how did that mean man capture him, did you see any visions about that" Wendy asked again.

Charle said nothing and she looked at Wendy in the corner of her eye as both their ears registered the sound of heels coming in their direction. Charle reminded her of the masters warning by motioning a hand gesture across her lips. Wendy nodded and gestured the throwing away of a key. Soon enough Erza was in front of them and pushing a bowel of ice cream towards Wendy with a smile.

"Wendy I remembered you like ice cream and there was a sale in town"

"Thank you Erza-san" Wendy squealed as she dove right in the frozen treat.

Erza watched her for a moment and sat down on the bed next to the two girls. She waited a moment before speaking "So Wendy what did Master want so late at night"

The spoon full of ice cream stopped halfway in Wendy's mouth and she stared at Erza with wide eyes. After a moment she placed the spoon down and said normally as possible"A person was seriously ill in town and Master asked if I could heal him"

"She of course said yes" Charle added with no emotion in her voice.

Erza stared at them both and choosing her words wisely she said "That's funny no one in town mentioned about illness"

Wendy said nothing and Charle just stared blankly at Erza. The three stared at one another in silence until Erza had enough and stood up. "Alright I'm off, Wendy enjoy the ice cream"

"Thank you again Erza-san"

As Erza stalked off to her room, outside she was calm but inside she was raging.

She had never been excluded before. She had always known the secrets and the truth behind the rumors in the guild. She felt powerful when she watched the other guild members gossip with one another about rumors and there she stood knowing the master trusted her with the truth. But now, now she was in the dark and it didn't look like she was coming out if it. For the first time, she wasn't trustworthy to the master.

* * *

"Gajeel I'm sorry if this brings up any memories but I must know how you were discovered by Ivan"

The iron dragon slayer looked at Makarov with his one eye that wasn't bandaged. The guild master couldn't help but feel guilt build in him. He watched as Gajeel sighed and reluctanltly told the day he was caught for being a double agent.

_Gajeel was perched on a rooftop munching on some scrap metal he brought along. He was use to Ivan taking his sweet ass time in meeting with him. Usually the man just sent a shikigami informing him of what his next task was. So when he got the message that Ivan wanted to see him personally, he was a bit surprised._

_So here he was waiting for the Raven Tail master to make an appearance. While waiting he stared at the small city the meeting was supposed to take place in. He had a good ariel view of the town center and he watched the townspeople. The large fountain which had a vicious tiger statue mounted on it glared at Gajeel as if it knew what he was yearning for. _

_All Gajeel wanted was what the townspeople probably did every day. Families were strolling around and people were taking a break while sitting on the fountain. Smiles and laughter were everywhere and Gajeel soon found himself losing himself as he watched the people live their lives. _

_Everyone was enjoying the nice weather of the ending day and he soon saw couples holding hands. He watched couples, whom stared at the sunset while interlacing each other's fingers. For a split second, he thought of the small blue haired mage, Levy. As fast as the girl entered his mind, she quickly left leaving only a sharp pang of loneliness. _

_Gajeel hated this feeling and as much as he didn't like to admit it, this feeling came very often. That heavy feeling that seemed to attack him and always made him think. Think of his past doings, his outnumbering regrets, and the bleak future that lay in front of him. He was trying so hard to change his path and stop burning every fucking bridge he walked by. He was slowly rebuilding some bridges, as Levy once again made her way into his mind. She didn't seem to be afraid of being alone with him anymore. _

_Fuck._

_He really messed up with that girl. Crucifying such a small helpless figure made him sick to his stomach just thinking about it. He couldn't ever do such a thing again. _

"_Good evening Gajeel-kun" A voice whispered in his ear._

_He knew who the voice belonged to and it took all his control not to take a step away from the man. Instead he turned around and bowed respectfully "Master"_

_Ivan smiled down at Gajeel and placed a hand on the young man's shoulder. Gajeel while staring at the man couldn't help but think how this man looked neither like Laxus or Makarov. He was tan and muscular and his style was…well Gajeel didn't know what style consisted of an ornate cloak, dress shirt and in an ascot._

"_Gajeel-kun how long have you been in my guild" He asked with a large smile on his face._

"_A couple months, maybe half a year at the most" Gajeel answered. _

"_Well today is the day where all your hard work pays off. It is time for your revenge" _

_Gajeel regretted that he let his expressions be so easily read as his face fell. At that moment he heard two distinct voices._

"_Natsu-kun I want strawberry icecream" _

"_Alright stay here while I go get some"_

_Gajeel turned to the voices and saw Natsu and Wendy. The idiot was leaving Wendy by the fountain. The child was defenseless and neither of their cats was with them. _

_Shit this isn't happening_

"_This is it Gajeel-kun, kill them. Be the only Dragon slayer left, your power will be unrivaled" Ivan whispered. He outstretched his hands and pulled them inwards in one swift movement. He breathed in deeply and continued this pattern of breathing for a few movements. When he laid his gaze back on Gajeel, golden eyes met red._

"_If you don't mind Gajeel-kun I don't want to be left out of all the fun" With that said Ivan raised his arm and pointed right at where Wendy was standing. In front of Gajeel's eyes, the tiger on top of the fountain opened its eyes and came to life. Eyes set on the small dragon slayer the tiger leapt from the fountain and landed right in front of the child. _

_The town panicked and soon chaos erupted as the crowded town center tried to evacute. Everyone tried to avoid the statue but unfortunately Wendy could not escape. Turning to the girl the lion had a grin that matched its master. Ivan laughed and turned to Gajeel._

"_I'll toy with this weakling until you kill the other dragon slayer" Ivan said with a smile. Gajeel turned to look at Natsu and saw him running back to Wendy, Ice cream cones wasted on the floor. He stood there with a moment of hesitation. Ivan watched him with the corner of his eye and saw how still his guild member was. He mistook the moment of hesitation as unsatisfactory. _

"_Ah I see Gajeel-kun you want to eliminate both of them. Don't worry I understand go ahead and kill the child" Ivan turned towards where Natsu was and smiled "Revenge makes me feel all tingly inside"_

_With that said Ivan left towards Natsu direction, leaving Gajeel frozen in his place. Ivan turned around and stared at Gajeel in confusion. Gajeel gave him a smile and headed towards the small child he had to kill. He heard Ivan chuckle and he quickly ran in vain to get away from the horrible sound. _

_Lcukily for him the statue followed Ivan and was now heading towards Natsu. Gajeel didn't have to worry though, the bastard could take care of himself. He was more worried for the kid and where she was. _

_It wasn't hard to find her as she was crouched behind a building. She stared at the statue that turned to life before her eyes. Right now it was attacking Natsu and other innocent bystanders. Gajeel looked at the small child who looked around with fearful eyes. She was helpless and he was ordered to kill her. For a second Levy replaced her and he felt his chest tighten as he was once again in the same position. _

_But this time it was going to be different._

_Though Wendy was afraid, she looked for anyone that might need help. She was so busy looking that she didn't hear the heavy footsteps and the smell of metal infiltrating her nose. She turned her head but never got to see the person as something hit her in the side of the head._

_Gajeel looked up and smiled at Ivan who was watching him from afar. With a nod of approval Ivan turned around to control the statue that was currently toying with Natsu. When he was sure Ivan wasn't looking Gajeel scooped the small child in his arms and ran to the nearest alley. He leaned her against the wall and knelt down next to her. He quickly looked over the small child and to his relief she only had a small scratch on her forehead. _

_Gajeel's face fell when he thought of the predicament he was in. During the chaos Gajeel didn't notice that it was already dark which right now he could use to his advantage. He could just hide the kid and beat the hell out of the pink headed bastard. If he put a good show maybe the other guild members will show up and Ivan will hopefully flee. Yeah that sounded like a good plan._

_Gajeel was about to pick up some trashcans to cover Wendy when he heard footsteps enter the alley. He turned around to face an expressionless Ivan who was staring at him. Gajeel felt fear crawl up his spine and he couldn't help but miss the crazed smile that usually was donned on Ivan's face. Not knowing what was going through his crazy mind was truly terrifying._

"_Gajeel what are you doing" Ivan asked._

_The iron dragonslayer 's face dropped when he realized that the Ivan did not address him with the "kun". Acting fast he turned around and reached for Wendy so he could run the hell out of there and return to Fairy Tail. This mission needed to be aborted and Gajeel now feared for all their lives. _

_He reached out to Wendy but an arm with inhuman strength gripped the back of his head. Before he could even fight back he was faced first in the gravel. _

"_You fucking traitor" Ivan hissed in his ear. Lifting his foot he stomped repeatedly on the traitors head watching with glee as the impact caused cracks in the pavement. When he was sure the young man wouldn't be getting up he walked to the young girl. He stared at her for a moment before sighing and grabbing her by the arm. Dragging her through the alley he carelessly threw her into the open where the pink headed boy could find her._

_Walking back to the Gajeel he whistled a cheery tune as he kicked him so he could see his face. The sight of his blood covered face made him smile but it soon fell when he realized there was some on the ground. Still whistling the tune he pulled a shikigami and placed it on the puddle of blood. Standing on his tiptoes he watched with fascination as the shikigami soaked up the blood. _

_Out of sight Out of mind._

_With that done, Ivan grabbed the traitor by the hair and walked to the end of the alley. He heard the pink headed boy call for the little girl._

_Gajeel struggled to keep his eyes open in order to see if Natsu would find Wendy. To his relief Natsu saw Wendy and was quickly by her side. Natsu shook her a couple times and soon her eyes opened, but she didn't look at Natsu. Instead she turned towards the alley and for a split second she and Gajeel met eye contact. That one second was all it took for Wendy to register the fear and pain in the eyes she couldn't look away from. Gajeel hoped that she didn't know it was him._

_._"And that's how Ivan found out that I was working for you"

Gajeel didn't dare look up to meet Makarov's gaze after he told how he was found out of being a double agent. He had failed a mission; the one mission he was given that could have turned his whole future around. He had failed it. Just another thing in his life he managed to screw up.

* * *

Any comments, reviews will be loved. Have a great night everyone!


	8. Chapter 8

Thank you **silentshadow55,kisshufan4eve_r,_ Kiss the tumtum tree, zombiegirl, jizang, youxcan'txstop, and SaNTorYu-ZoRo! **All your reviews are cherished and appreciated! :)

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_He dug his heels in the dirt floor in vain to stop himself from screaming.  
_

'_Don't scream, don't scream. Don't let this bastard know he's gettin-'Gajeel's thoughts stopped as the pain in his chest became unbearable. 'Don't scr-' The mantra was broken when the scream escaped his lips. He screamed for what seemed like hours and the pain only increased by the second. His fingernails were digging into his palms as he tried to get his mind off the pain that was ripping through his chest._

_The strong smell of blood gave him an urge to gag. He turned his head away from the scent of blood that was currently spilling down his chest. If he threw up anything that was currently in his stomach would be bad news since Ivan was making a habit of not feeding him. _

_The feeling of the hot fluid trailing down his bare chest made his stomach drop and his attempts at not gagging failed. Quickly turning his head, he emptied his stomach's contents on the floor. He cursed at himself for being so damn weak._

_He had never felt so disgusted at himself then he did now. Here he was chained to the point of being immobile, throwing up and a knife in his chest. The worst part was that he was to blame for all this. _

_When the knife was finally taken out of his chest Gajeel couldn't help but let out a sigh in relief. He tried to look down at the wound on his chest but a hand gripped his chin and forced his head up. Ivan's nails pierced his skin as his grip tightened. _

"_You belong to this guild until you die. Do you understand" Ivan spat at him. Not waiting for a response Ivan left the room. _

_For a moment Gajeel thought that was the end, at least for today. He wondered how long he had been here. He couldn't tell if it was night or day in this damn dungeon. How long he had been here was a question that he pondered endlessly. His only hope as of now was that Makarov would notice that something was wrong. He didn't care who saw him in this pitiful state, he just wanted to get the hell out of here. _

_He was tired of waking up in terror at the slightest noise. He was exhausted at being constantly being on edge when footsteps were heard. _

_To prove his point his stomach dropped and he backed into the wall when footsteps echoed the empty room. When Ivan came into eyesight, Gajeel's heart fell. In his hand was the knife, but it was now glowing red. _

_Gajeel tried to fight off the hand that was reaching to his face. A punch to his nose stopped his attempts and left him dazed for a moment. A kick to his bruised ribs left him lying on the ground, gagging and struggling with the pain coursing through his torso. A moment was all it took for Ivan to grab his face and turn his head roughly. He felt the heat as the knife came closer to his left side of his face. _

_Before he could even fight back, the knife pressed down onto his skin. The only action Gajeel could take was to dig his nails into his palms. He felt his nails pierce the skin on his hand and soon felt the familiar sensation of blood trickling down his skin._

"_You are always a member of the Raven Guild. This should help you remember" _

"Gajeel" Someone was talking to him. "GAJEEL" They sounded worried.

Turning to the voice, he saw that it was Wendy. She was leaning a little to close to his liking and her eyes were staring at his hands. "Sorry, what were you saying" He grumbled.

"How did you get those marks on your hands" She asked. She gently laid her hand on his and stared at him with concerned eyes.

He looked down and saw that she was looking at the nail marks. Removing his hand away from her grasp he stared at the crescent shaped scars. For a moment he felt the heat by his face and blood trailing down his chest. He shook his head and the feelings along with the memories left him. "I don't remember"

He saw Wendy look at Charle nervously, but the exceed just shook her head in response.

* * *

"He's still not eating that much" Wendy muttered to Charle. They turned to stare discreetly at Gajeel who was still on bed rest. The dragon slayer didn't pay any attention to them and instead picked at the plate of food in front of him. He looked better than when Wendy first saw him on that horrible first night but he still had a long road to recovery.

A majority of his body was still covered in bandages, especially his chest and left side of his face. His broken limbs were now in casts and the bones were healing nicely. His other injuries were also all healing rapidly, thankfully by Wendy's magic and Porlyusica's herbs.

Wendy and Porlyusica had regretfully realized that her magic was having no affect to the carving in his chest and the burn to his face. Wendy didn't know why her magic was being repelled. Everytime she saw the carving and burn of the Raven symbol, it seemed to laugh at her inability to help her fellow guildmember.

"He is getting really pale" Wendy added.

"Well what do you expect when he's been locked inside here for so long"

"Do you think Master would allow him to go outside today" Wendy question. She tried to contain her excitement, but her tone expressed her true feelings. The thought of everyone finally knowing that Gajeel was alive and safe put a smile on her face.

"We will have to ask, maybe he can even recover the rest of the injuries at his own home" Charle added.

Gajeel was sound asleep when he was woken up to the sound of someone running down the hallway. He tried to go back to sleep but the doors to the room were pulled open. The footsteps ran to the side of the bed and he again tried to feign sleep.

"Gajeel guess what" Wendy exclaimed.

Mumbling a few curses he turned his head to look at the smaller dragon slayer. "What"

"You have to guess" Wendy pouted.

Gajeel remained silent and stared at Wendy, who only stared back at him in defiance.

"He's not going to guess" Charle muttered.

"Fine I'll tell you then" Wendy sighed. "Master said that you can heal at your apartment from now on"

Gajeel's attention was immediately grabbed. "I can leave finally leave this room"

"Yup, you can leave today. Master said the only thing you have to do, is make sure you keep your bandages on for your face and chest"

"Yeah getting an infection right now would be great" Gajeel said sarcastically.

"I think he meant to hide the Ra-"

"The Master told us to give you this letter" Charle interrupted Wendy and quickly handed him a letter. "Make sure you read it before we leave"

While Gajeel quickly scanned the letter, Charle motioned Wendy to be quiet and then pointed to her chest and face. Wendy got the message and made a mental note to refrain herself to not speak of the Raven symbol.

"Good cover up story" Gajeel mumbled to himself as he read the letter. After getting his story memorized, just in case any guild-members asked where he had been, he crumbled the paper and turn to Wendy and Charle "Alright let's go"

"Hold on" A voice rang out.

The trio turned and saw that Lily had entered the room. "Make sure you use this" Lily handed Gajeel a crutch who rolled his eyes in return.

"Whatever let's just get the hell out of here"

Gajeel noticed that when he stepped out of the room, the guild was unusually quiet. He looked around the halls they walked by and so far he had not seen one person.

"Hey Lily where is everyone" He finally asked.

"Probably still asleep, it's still early"

Gajeel only grunted in reply and kept walking. He was eager to actually go back to his home and out of that room. It was slowly starting to feel like he was being kept prisoner in there. He wasn't too fond of having that feeling.

Before they were about to exit the guild, a voice called their attention. Turning around they saw Mirajane had just entered the guild and was running to them. When she reached them she turned her attention to Gajeel and said in a stern voice

"I want to see you here at least three times a day. Come here for meals, I have a few recipes I'm sure will help you recover faster."

The dragon-slayer scratched his neck in embarrassment and muttered "I don't have that much money right now I don't thin-"

"Don't be an idiot, I'm not going to make you pay for your meals" Mirajane smiled at Gajeel and said sincerely "I just want to see you get better"

Though Gajeel tried to fight it, he smiled and nodded at Mirajane. "Alright I'll see you later then"

Mirajane nodded and said goodbye to the group. She watched them as they headed off to the town. Thankfully the sun was not out and she was sure that not many people would see the group.

* * *

The group was an awkward sight to the early rising townspeople. A small child, accompanied by two cats, who were all surrounding a man whose aura reeked of danger despite all his injuries. Though the appearance was questionable, their actions were innocent. They walked towards the apartment without any incidents.

When they reached the apartment Wendy and Charle excused themselves. Porlyusica had a few more herbs to give to the still healing dragon slayer and asked if Wendy could pick them up from her new home. Strangely the hermit had taken a liking to the child, and had asked for her company several times.

"Alright we are going to head off. We'll see you guys later" Wendy called out to them.

Gajeel and Lily nodded. "We'll see you at the guild"

"Alright lets go inside so I can go back to sleep" Gajeel said. Lily nodded and quickly pulled out the key to the apartment. When he opened the door he was happy to see that the apartment was exactly how it was the day he had left it. Well actually when he had been evicted out of the apartment. He decided to keep that information from the dragon slayer.

When Gajeel walked into the apartment, a smile spread across his face and he immediately went to his bedroom. He fell onto to the bare mattress and his smile grew wider at the feeling of the comfortable regular bed.

After a couple minutes of lying down, Gajeel was asleep. For the first time in weeks, he was able to have a peaceful sleep. After a couple of hours of sleep, Gajeel started to get bothered by the thick bandage on his face. Since he was in his own home he decided that it was perfectly fine to remove the bandage. He just had to be sure that he didn't get it infected.

Removing the bandage, he felt the cool air on his face. "Shit that felt nice" Gajeel said to himself. After lying down for a while, he realized he was hungry when his stomach growled loudly. He wondered if his box of scrap metal was still underneath the kitchen sink.

Seeing that there was only one way to find out, Gajeel hauled himself off and hobbled through the apartment. Heading to the kitchen he stopped when he saw a glimpse of his reflection in a piece of glass that was on the floor.

For a moment he thought he saw some something on the burn on his face. He walked towards the small piece of glass and though he tried to calm himself, his heart started racing. Reaching out for the piece of glass he noticed his hand was shaking. He blamed it on hunger and would never admit that it was fear of finally looking at his reflection. 'I can't look to bad, it was just a burn after all' He picked up the piece of glass and began to raise it to his face.

"GAJEEL" Lily yelled.

Gajeel dropped the piece of glass in surprise and sharply turned to Lily who was now beside him. The exceed grabbed the piece of glass and quickly threw it in the trash. Before he could question his actions, Lily looked at Gajeel and asked quietly. "Gajeel when was the last time you saw your face"

Sensing the seriousness of the question he answered truthfully "Last time was before the mission"

"Gajeel do you know what's on your face… or your chest"

Gajeel's face dropped and before Lily could react the dragon slayer sprinted to the bathroom mirror, his casted leg forgotten. The exceed reacted and transformed to his larger form and chased after him. He saw Gajeel grab the doorknob to the bathroom and decided that he needed to stop him no matter what.

Before Gajeel could even open the door he was blindsided with a tackled from the now large exceed. His arm, thankfully not the broken one, took the shock of the fall and he was now pinned to the ground. Lily fearing that he would hurt his friend, carefully pressed one knee down lightly on his chest. He made sure that the dragon-slayers good arm was also pinned down.

"Let me fucking see, you bastard" Gajeel snarled. He tried to knee Lily with his good leg but he wouldn't budge. "Damn it, get off me now"

"You don't want to see it Gajeel" Lily tried to argue some sense in him. But all he got in return was Gajeel's knee hitting his back. Growing tired of pinning down his struggling friend, Lily tried a different way to talk some sense into him. "Gajeel I'm your friend right"

Gajeel ignored him and continued to struggle. Lily went closer to his face and repeated his question, this time he raised his volume "Gajeel am I your friend, yes or no"

Gajeel visibly tightened his jaw and slowly stopped his struggling. He nodded his head in response.

Lily took his knee off his chest and slowly released the pinned limb. Staring at Gajeel in the eye he asked "Do you trust me"

Gajeel again nodded.

"You don't want to see them. Don't look at them, until Porlyusica and Wendy are able to heal it. Promise me you won't look at them" Lily said. "Promise me Gajeel" He said a little more sternly.

"I promise" Gajeel muttered.

Lily sighed in relief and stood up. Leaning down he reached his hand to Gajeel, who took it silently. Pulling him up he decided to act and embraced Gajeel in a hug. He felt the boy tense up at first but he soon loosened up.

Lily felt him clap him on the shoulder and heard a laugh. Releasing him from the embrace he was glad to see that Gajeel had a genuine smile on his face. He playfully pushed the exceed away and pointed to the burn said "Alright hurry up and put something on this so we can head down to the guild"

Lily could tell that the urge to look at his face and chest was still there, but Gajeel trusted Lily. Though Lily wanted this whole ordeal to be over, he still had one question he had to ask Gajeel. He was sure this question would bring up to many personal issues but he had to know the answer. He decided that he would ask later, right now they were going to head down to the guild.

~/~~

The two guildmembers stood in front of the Fairy Tail entrance neither one of them moving. Though Gajeel tried to look calm, Lily could tell he was nervous.

"If you feel like you want to leave just tell me" Lily muttered to him. He looked at Gajeel and made sure the dragon slayer knew how serious he was about what he had just said.

"Don't worry, what's the worst thing can happen" Gajeel weakly joked. He had gone through weeks of torture by a crazed man. How tough can a guild full of people he knew be? Everything was going to be alright. At least that's what he kept repeating to himself as he opened the guild doors.

* * *

Yeah the hug between Lily and Gajeel was a must. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Please review :)


	9. Chapter 9

First of all thank you for everyone who reviewed, favorite or alerted this story throughout these nine chapters. You guys are awesome.

Thank you to SaNTorYu_ZoRo, Medley_Nightfallen, undisi, the_TumTum_tree, MewAqua1, ZombieGirl, julioanima for reviewing chapter 8!

* * *

"Master I would like to ask for permission to know what was going on during these past couple weeks concerning Gajeel"

Erza stared at Makarov in the eye and kept her face free from any emotions. She wanted to know what occurred these past weeks. If she wanted to one day be the master of Fairy Tail she had to be sure that she knew about her guild members.

She admitted that at first she was upset that she was left out of what was occurring but now she had the urge to confront what was going on for the sake of the guild.

Makarov looked at the young woman in front of him. He desperately wanted to tell her the events that occurred in these past few weeks but his shame of his choices kept him silent.

"I'm sorry but I will have to say no. Please just understand that what happened with Gajeel, I never want to reoccur with any other guild members"

With a nod signifying he was done talking he dismissed her.

Erza walked out of Makarov's office, her brain trying to piece what might have happened. Walking towards the main hall, she was aware that the usual loud hall was silent. She quickly sped her way towards the railing of the second floor so she could see what was going on.

~00~

The Fairy Tail guild was known for its rowdy parties and celebrations. Music could be heard from miles and didn't stop till morning; the townspeople would defend that statement. Fairy Tail was never quiet, there was always noise coming from the guild.

With this reputation, Gajeel was shocked to say the least when he opened the doors to the guild.

Silence. They say it's golden. Well right now Gajeel would kick anyone's ass who said this because he doubted that they knew how it felt to silence an entire guild. The seconds of silence seemed like hours and Gajeel felt dread fulfill him.

He stood at the entrance of the guild and his plan of barging in and not giving a fuck who stared at him crumbled. He stared back at the hundreds of eyes that stared at him. He tried to walk to a vacant table but to his horror he found that he was unable to move.

Thankfully Lily felt his distress and he carefully nudged his healthy leg towards the table. Thankfully the nudge made him remember how to use his legs. He turned and was going to walk when someone started yelling his name. He barely turned around when he was embraced. He grunted as the person accidently nudged his sore torso.

"Gajeel-kun. Gajeel-kun is finally back. Juvia was so..." Gajeel stared down at Juvia who looked like she was about to burst into tears.

He gave her a smile and awkwardly tried to gain his balance back. Noticing his unbalance she helped him head over to a vacant table and she sat down next to him. Thankfully by the time they sat down, a buzz of conversations broke the silence.

He was going to start a conversation with Juvia but he noticed his bandage on his face was becoming loose. Also it was starting to burn like hell. He quickly smelled out Wendy and Charle who were sitting in a vacant table. He got up and gestured towards the two to Lily. The exceed merely nodded his head and started to walk towards the bar to grab some food. He noticed Juvia didn't mind being left alone as her eyes trailed down Gray's naked torso.

Walking to Wendy he noticed that a certain blue-headed mage was walking in his direction. She was walking with her nose in a book and before he knew it he saw her leg trip over a chair. He tried to catch her but his leg slowed him down. He quickly walked to her so he could at least help her up.

"Shit" He mumbled. He was going to offer his hand to the fallen mage but stopped when two pairs of hands hauled her up.

"Hey man next time watch where you're going" Someone yelled at him.

"No, it wasn't like that" Levy tried to argue but the two members didn't listen to her and instead glared at Gajeel for his actions.

Gajeel didn't say anything despite the insult that was at the tip of his tongue. He decided to turn to instead walk towards Wendy. A hand stopped him and he turned to the person who wanted to continue to piss him off. He was startled to see a grinning Natsu beside him, and his hand on his shoulder was actually a sign of support.

"Ah Gajeel didn't push Levy, the chair is the bastard who tripped her. Right Levy" Natsu turned to the mage who looked relieved that someone had actually seen the truth.

"My foot caught the leg of the chair" Levy nervously laughed.

The people who confronted Gajeel looked away and made lame excuses to go back to their tables. Gajeel couldn't help but grin at the turn of the situation. He looked at Levy and realized that she was staring at him intently. He raised his eyebrow at her but she quickly looked the other way. She smiled at the two dragon slayers and sped off.

"Man you sure know how to make a grand entrance huh" Natsu laughed while slapping Gajeel's back. "Man you look like shit, what happened to you"

Gajeel couldn't help but smirk at Natsu, that blunt bastard. "A mission didn't go as planned and..." Gajeel stopped talking when Natsu grabbed his arm and dragged him to the bar. He quickly ordered two drinks. "Here it's on me, welcome back"

When the drinks were placed in front of them, Gajeel gladly took it and took a large gulp of the alcoholic drink.

"I like to heat my drinks, it taste awesome when it's steaming hot" Natsu commented mostly to himself. He drew flames and quickly put it underneath the drink. He watched in fascination as the drink began to steam. "Mirajane gave me my own fireproof cup, see it doesn't get damaged" Natsu raised the mug to Gajeel's face so he could see.

The mug to his face, Gajeel's stomach dropped when he saw a red flamed hand by the side of his face. The smell of burnt skin accompanied by the agonizing pain of the heat contacting with flesh attacked his senses.

Before he could even stop himself, his healthy arm now coated with iron punched Natsu in the face. The alcoholic drink in Natsu's hand flew up and hit Gajeel in the face. Natsu hit the wall with a crash but luckily landed on his feet when he fell to the floor. His eyes were wide with confusion since he knew the fellow dragon slayer would never throw such a cheap shot if he was looking to start a fight for fun.

He looked at the iron dragon slayer and saw something unusual. There was fear in his eyes. Genuine fear. Before he could stare to long he noticed that the bandage that was on Gajeel's face start to fall. The entire guild was watching them, not knowing if they were just goofing off or if it was serious.

Natsu sensing something was wrong decided to act. "Can't put anything past you huh Gajeel. Come on I'll buy you another drink and I promise I won't do anything to it"

The guild seemed to buy the act and the audience they attracted looked away. Since Natsu was still keeping up the act, all he could do was watch.

He saw that Mirajane was about to run towards the dragon slayer, her eyes locked on the bandage that was slowing slipping off. He watched as Gajeel looked at his reflection that showed in one of the wine glasses. He saw the man's face fall. Something was wrong, he didn't know what but he knew he had to do something.

Thinking on his feet Natsu did what he did best. He started a bar fight with whoever was closest to him, which happened to be Gray who was walking towards the bar. With a joyous laugh he tackled the ice mage and declared that the brawl had started. Of course the usual rowdy members quickly joined the fight and Natsu was grateful for that. He at least hoped he did enough to help Gajeel, it freaked him out that Gajeel could actually express fear.

The guild members' attention was towards the main show of the large brawl in the middle of the hall. They didn't see the sideshow that was being placed in the back of the guild. They didn't see the struggling dragon slayer who was trying to get out of the grasp of Mirajane. Before Lily or Juvia could go over to help him, he ran out of the guild.

* * *

Gajeel didn't stop running until his still healing leg's pain finally reached his adrenaline filled mind. He didn't know how far he had run but he could tell that the guild was a long way behind. Now that he was still, the sight of what was underneath the bandage came to his mind. Just seeing _it_ in the wine bottle's reflection was enough to want to scratch his eyes out. Just thinking about it made his stomach hurt.

He pressed a hand over his mouth to try to muffle a gag. He couldn't hold it back though and he threw up his stomach contents followed by several dry heaves. He had to fully see it, he had to see what the sick bastard did to him.

With a shaky hand, he rested it on his cheek and quickly ripped the gauze off. His hand still trembling he traced the burn. He clenched his jaw as his fingers traced the Raven guild symbol. He never felt so god damn weak.

Ivan that bastard. That bastard not only tortured him for weeks but he marked him. The burn would heal but he was sure that a scar would be there. Now he understood why Lily warned him not to look at them.

Wait…them.

His chest. Fuck his chest, was it there too?

Gajeel ran to a nearby river and he quickly tore off his shirt. He hesitated to rip off the bandage that was wrapped around his chest.

No he had to see if it was there too.

Clenching on them tightly, he feverishly ripped them off. The bandages fell to the floor, and Gajeel went to the river to look at his reflection.

A carving, this time. The still healing skin from the knife's incision made his skin puffy and the symbol seemed to lift off his chest with pride.

It was worse than the burn.

Gajeel stared at his reflection, his mind shutting down. He couldn't have this on his body. He wasn't going to have these symbols on his body. He didn't want to remember his mistakes.

Raising his hand Gajeel coated his hand into iron scales.

He had to get rid of these reminders.

Gajeel made the point of his fingers into one jagged steel blade.

Taking a deep breath, Gajeel calmly raised his hand to his face.

~~222~~

Gajeel came back to consciousness when he heard someone calling his voice. He strained to listen to the calls.

"Gajeel-kun" A feminine voice called. "Please answer, Juvia is worried. Don't make Juvia worry, because she doesn't want to worry anymore"

Gajeel remained silent and watched Juvia run by the river. The girl was in tears and she was growing frantic by the moment.

"Juvia" Gajeel tried to say but stopped as that bitter taste of blood seeped into his mouth.

Though it was quiet, Juvia heard the call. She turned to the sound and her face paled at the sight of her friend. He was leaning on a tree, his torso and face covered in blood. She looked down at his hand and her mouth fell when she saw the bloodied hand that was currently formed into a knife.

"Oh no, Gajeel –Kun what did you do" Juvia whispered. She took careful steps toward him but once she realized he wouldn't fight her she quickly ran to his side.

She stared at the sight of her broken friend who was currently dripping with blood. She felt bile rise in her throat when she looked at his chest and cheek. It looked like a layer of skin had been peeled off and now blood covered the areas.

"Juvia is sorry, she is so sorry" She whispered before she broke down and started to cry.

"Why are you apologizing" Gajeel mumbled. He still didn't look at her; he just stared off straight ahead.

"Juvia knew you were feeling isolated but she didn't try to help you. Juvia should have been there for you but she was too caught up with her love Gray-sama. Juvia is sorry, she is so sorry that she was a horrible friend to Gajeel-kun" Juvia cried out. She fell to her knees and before she could stop herself a cloud started to form above her.

Before rain could fall, a hand grasped her arm. She looked up to see that Gajeel finally met eye contact with her. He gave her half a smile, since the other side of his face was covered in blood.

Gajeel was forgiving her.

Juvia smiled back despite the tears that still ran down her face. Brushing her tears away she quickly tried to help her friend. Using her magic abilities she carried some water from the river. Being as gentle as possible she began to wash the blood off his face and chest. She winced when she saw the tattered flesh that the knife had skinned off. She hoped that Wendy would come by real soon.

Washing away the blood, Juvia realized just how pale Gajeel had become. Before she could voice her concerns he looked up at her and grumbled "Thanks Juvia" After he voiced his appreciation, his eyes rolled in the back of his head.

* * *

Opening his eyes Gajeel realized that he was inside now. Was he back in the guild? Gajeel looked around the room and when he finally recognized where he was relief flooded him. He was at his apartment, on his mattress.

Trying to get up, he winced when his chest flared with pain. With a grunt he laid back down, hoping that the pain would subside. Though he was in pain, Gajeel felt better than he had in weeks. Like a weight had been lifted off his chest.

Speaking of chest, he tried to recall the past events involving his chest and face, Gajeel hesitantly felt his face. There was now a bandage where the symbol once was. Probably Wendy's doing. Before he could feel his chest, Lily finally announced his presence. "You just couldn't wait for Porlyusica's herbs huh"

"It just probably would've left a scar, my way was better" Gajeel mumbled. He didn't feel like talking at the moment. All he wanted was get some decent metal to eat and some alcohol to help with his current headache. Unfortunately Lily had other plans.

"Gajeel I have to ask you a question"

Gajeel grunted in response.

"Why did you choose to go on that mission?"

Lily saw Gajeel grow tense at the question. Gajeel didn't say anything for a while but taking a deep breath he decided to tell Lily the truth. He had been a great partner and friend especially these past weeks and deserved to know the truth.

"I chose the mission because I was tired " He began.

"Tired of what" Lily asked.

"Of being alone" Gajeel confessed quietly. Lily tried to conceal his surprise at the answer. "As much as I hated these weak idiots and their dumbass values I couldn't help but want to join this guild. Just for once I wanted to be in a guild where I wasn't hated; I wasn't feared…..I was just accepted. When I first became a member of this guild I was surprised. It was fucking shocking to see guild members actually be friends instead of just waiting for a moment to defeat one another when someone showed a sign of weakness.

I wasn't trusted when I got here, according to a lot of people I was still an enemy. So when Master gave me an option to take that mission to be a double agent, I took it. With that mission, I was gaining trust with the master. But the guild members were a little more difficult. Even when Laxus betrayed the guild the guild forgave him. But when it comes to me, I have to take a dangerous mission just to prove that I'm trustworthy. Fucking assholes some of these guild members are"

"So why do you stay"

"I've met a couple of people that are worth staying here and protecting. Also the two other dragon slayers all in one guild, it's kinda weird. Like we were drawn to this guild just so we can figure out what happened on that day"

"What day"

Gajeel didn't feel like digging that far into past so he instead chose to stay quiet. Lily picked up the refusal and changed the topic.

"So tell me, do you think things have changed since you joined Fairy Tail till now" He asked.

Gajeel was silent for a second before answering "I don't know. All I know is that now that those symbols are gone, I can now forget all these past few weeks. In about a week we will start training again.

Lily rolled his eyes at the answer. He was sure that there were a couple of guild members who still didn't like Gajeel's presence but the majority of the guild had all accepted the dragon slayer as a fellow member.

Lily was also bothered by how fast Gajeel seemed to have gotten over his captivity with Ivan. He was sure the iron dragon slayer still had a lot to say but knowing him he wouldn't voice any of it. He instead would grow stronger at this experience, cause that's what kind of person he was. He knew that dumbass to well.

"Hey I made a sequel to Best Friend when I was captured, you wanna hear it"

Well shit that was unexpected.

* * *

Walking out of the guild after grabbing lunch Gajeel and Lily stopped when a distinct voice called after him. "Gajeel. Hey wait up"

He froze for a second and quickly looked at Lily hoping for some advice. The exceed merely shrugged his shoulders and stared back at him. Sighing, Gajeel turned around and waited for the person to catch up to them.

Levy stopped running and stopped when she reached the dragon-slayer. He couldn't help but notice that she kept a good distance between them. He felt her eyes roam his body and she lingered at the thick bandage on his face. He leaned heavily on one of the crutches and waited for her to say something.

Levy looked down at the floor and stared at her shoes. "I can take your meals to you" She finally blurted out. "You know that way you don't have to walk back and forth to the guild three times a day" She waited for an answer but was greeted to silence.

"Um, I just thought because of your leg-"

"Fine, just leave them on the doorstep" Gajeel cut her off. Giving a nod he turned around and headed to his apartment. Lily rolled his eyes at the dragon-slayers actions, since it was clear that he harbored feelings for Levy. With a sigh, Lily decided that he shouldn't interfere with Gajeel's decision of avoiding Levy. He was sure with time, the hardheaded dragon slayer would realize his feelings for her and hopefully he would act on them.

The following weeks Gajeel woke up each morning to three large packages of food on his doorstep. There was enough food for both him and Lily and usually there were leftovers. Gajeel soon began gaining weight and the unhealthy 'starving' look was soon fading away. He wasted no time in gaining the muscle he had lost over the time. Now that his haunting look was going away Gajeel decided to take a step forward.

The following morning when he heard footsteps coming towards his door he acted quickly. Opening the door he came face to face with Levy. She drew back a little but after recovering from her surprise she took a step forward.

"Here you go" She held the food out to the dragon-slayer and waited for him to take it. When he made no movement to get the food she became puzzled. Taking a deep breath Gajeel decided to act.

"Would you like to come in and eat breakfast with us?"

There was no response. He stared at Levy and he saw that she was staring at the floor. She was clearly thinking if she should stay or not. Gajeel hoped she would. He wanted to completely rebuild this bridge with Levy.

"Umm I actually have plans right now" Levy said under her breath. She didn't know what made her lie.

Though Gajeel would never admit to anyone, he was disappointed at the answer. He took the food from Levy and waited for her to actually make eye contact with him. Feeling his stare she hesitantly looked up and met his gaze. She had trouble to keep her mouth from falling in surprise. There in front of her was Gajeel genuinely smiling at her.

"Maybe next time then" He said gently. He didn't want it to sound like an order or worse a threat. He was relieved that he didn't scare her since she just returned the smile and nodded. He couldn't help but see some color rise in her face.

Shit he hoped that she wasn't getting sick. He would feel like shit if she was working herself too hard by bringing his food every day. The packages were pretty heavy since it seemed Mirajane was making it her life goal in making sure that Gajeel got plenty of food.

"Hey are you feeling alright" Gajeel asked.

Levy now avoided eye contact and looked everywhere but Gajeel. "Yeah I'm fine. Oh I almost forgot to tell you. Four weeks from now there is going to be a special announcement from the Master. Be sure you're there. I mean if you can make it. I'm sure I can tell Master that you can't make-

"Whoa, calm down that sounds fine. Me and Lily will be there" Gajeel said. He once again gave her a smile which sent more color to her face making it turn red. "Thanks for all of this Levy, you helped a lot" Patting the boxes of food he said "But I think this is the last time I'm going to eat at home. We're going to start going back to the guild"

"We're" Levy repeated. Was he saying he wanted to spend time with her once he returned back to the guild? A small smile came on Levy's face.

"Yeah me and Lily"

The smile disappeared and Levy felt disappointment flood her.

"Alright, see you later. Don't want to be late for your plans" Gajeel said before he closed the door. He stood by the door, the urge to invite Levy again on the tip of his tongue. 'She already said no don't be so pathetic' He thought to himself.

Levy stood outside the door, even though it was closed and Gajeel had already said goodbye. She tried to tell her legs to walk but she couldn't….no she didn't want to go away. The fear she had when Gajeel invited her for breakfast was gone and now she regretted saying no. Maybe she could say that her plans were canceled and she was able to have breakfast now.

Gajeel waited by the door and was confused that Levy was still standing outside. Was she ok? He reached for the doorknob.

Levy raised her clenched fist so she can knock on the door.

Gajeel turned the doorknob but hesitated. What if she was just frozen in fear? Was she still scared of him? Well only one way to find out.

Levy stopped her fist from knocking the door and quickly ran down the stairs. She ran to Fairy Hills where she hoped she could understand these feelings that were currently consuming her.

He turned the doorknob and opened the door. He was greeted to an empty doorstep. He turned to the right and saw a small blue headed mage running.

Fuck, she was still scared of him.

Levy ran to Fairy Hills and locked herself up in her room. Clutching a pillow she buried her face in it and screamed. She regretted so many things and it was barely morning. She did know that she had feelings for Gajeel. She wasn't that stubborn in denying them. But she didn't know what to do with them.

"If only something happened where he and I would have to spend time together" Levy mumbled to herself. There was also a mission, but he was still healing. "There has to be something where he and I could get closer" she whispered.

* * *

Levy was in awe. Her name had been called. HER NAME! She still couldn't believe that she been chosen to be a candidate for S-mage exam. Though she was still in awe she was not oblivious to her two partners that were at the moment bickering with one another about who was going to be Levy's partner.

Levy didn't voice her opinion but she already had a person in mind to be her partner.

Gajeel and Lily were staring at the list of names that Makarov announced. Each one of these persons had a chance to now be a S-class mage.

Gajeel was disappointed that his name hadn't been called to be a candidate. He looked up to Master Makarov and saw that the man was clearly not looking in his direction. It was a slap in the face at best. He had risked his life to help Makarov and yet he didn't even qualify to be a candidate.

The feeling of disappointment was quickly fading and was being replaced with rage. It had taken him a while to finally get his health completely back. Why the fuck wasn't he picked to be a candidate. He wanted to know at least why.

"Make the best of this situation Gajeel" Lily said gently. He felt the anger coming from the dragon slayer and he didn't want him to do something that he might regret.

"How the fuck am I going to make the best of this situation" Gajeel growled.

"You wanted to prove everyone that you are now a Fairy Tail guild member right. Well here's your chance"

"I don't know if you noticed but my name is not on the fuc-"

"Each candidate can have a partner" Lily cut him off. He turned around and nodded his head at Levy who was sitting still. "Here's your chance. Kill two birds with one stone. Show everyone that you do belong here….. and have some time with her" Lily said with a grin.

Gajeel glared at Lily but saw that he was only telling the truth. With one last glare he turned and walked towards Levy.

"Beware of those two idiots" Lily called after him.

Gajeel turned around and said with a malicious grin "Don't worry I won't give her a choice, I will be her partner"

Lily shook his head but watched as the dragon slayer approached the small mage. The whispering of Gajeel's disappearance had ceased long ago and everything seemed ok. He hoped this S-class trial worked in the benefit for the dragon-slayer.

That kid deserved a break and it looked like only a few people would give it to him. Lily's top priority would make sure that Gajeel would never have to go through that kind of mission again.

He didn't even care if the Makarov requested him. That sick bastard Ivan would never hurt his partner again.

~~I~~~~~

Ivan watched the dragon slayer and exceed walk through the town. He now understood why Gajeel was not crawling to his feet begging for his forgiveness. The enchantments he placed on the Raven symbols on Gajeel's body were gone. The boy must've done something drastic in order to get rid of those symbols since he made sure no herbs or healing magic could take it off. He hadn't taken note of iron dragon magic; he honestly thought that the man would be too depressed to even think of using his magic.

Staring at the dragon slayer, Ivan realized that he had underestimated the boy. With a smile to his face, Ivan realized that Gajeel was a wonderful addition to his guild. He wondered how long he would have to wait till Gajeel returned to his guild.

No matter he thought. If Gajeel wouldn't come to him he would simply go to Gajeel.

* * *

What's this! Possibly a sequel. It's all up to you guys. Since this is the last chapter please everybody review and give me your thoughts and opinions. I love hearing them. That goes for you lurkers in the dark too.

Well I hope everyone enjoyed this fic! Because I know I did. Alright please review and thank you everyone for reading Please let me in. Hopefully the title makes sense now.


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